As the Norman Lear Tributes Continue To Roll In, This Somehow Feels a Little Bigger Than the Usual Hollywood Goodbye

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In a culture that can still manufacture celebrity like few other things, we’ve become strangely inured to ‘sad news’ postings on the social internet. But Wednesday’s departure of a true zeitgeist pioneer resonates on a different level

Norman Lear
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sadly, we’ve gotten a little inured to all the “sad news” postings. 

The social internet will do that to a person. It processes and distills all the tragedy, ugliness, humiliation and dread of everyday life, bombarding you every morning with brutal street beatings, racist rants, footage from terrorist body cams, totalitarian campaign messaging … all before the French Roast can slip past the blood-brain barrier. 

And yes, the deaths of wonderful, creative folks who profoundly shaped our culture and world view roll on by every day, their associated tributes lost in a repetitive cacophony.  

For what it’s worth, Wednesday’s passing of sitcom legend Norman Lear felt a little different. It wasn't just because the volume was a little louder — a pioneering television career and life spanning 101 years will touch a lot more fans, friends, peers, mentees and hangers-on merely on the basis of its duration. 

It must have been the narrative arc, perhaps as enduring and coherent as we're ever likely to see from a Hollywood legend. Just so we can stop blathering on about how moved we feel about this, we've assembled a few of the more moving tributes. 

If we were bold enough to add a cutline to any of these Twitter/X tributes culled from around zeitgeist, it certainly would not read, “Some sad news …” 

We’d choose, “This, my friends, is how it’s done.”

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!